Remodeling the brain: plastic structural brain changes produced by different motor therapies after stroke.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

Studies on adult stroke patients have demonstrated functional changes in cortical excitability, metabolic rate, or blood flow after motor therapy, measures that can fluctuate rapidly over time. This study evaluated whether evidence could also be found for structural brain changes during an efficacious rehabilitation program.

Methods

Chronic stroke patients were randomly assigned to receive either constraint-induced movement therapy (n=16) or a comparison therapy (n=20). Longitudinal voxel-based morphometry was performed on structural MRI scans obtained immediately before and after patients received therapy.

Results

The group receiving constraint-induced movement therapy exhibited far greater improvement in use of the more affected arm in the lif

SUBMITTER: Gauthier LV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2574634 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature